Media Mock Draft: Re-Imagining the NFL Coverage Team for Each Major Network

What would happen if the networks that broadcast the NFL behaved a little more like the sport they cover?

Since it's the season for mock drafts, here is a different type of mock: a media mock draft. Each network that carries NFL games gets six picks to put together a broadcast team from play-by-play guys, to studio hosts to newsmen.

Which media members are more valuable than their counterparts? How will different networks put their "draft boards" together? What will the varying different types of coverage look like?

Most importantly, which one would you want to watch the most?

Round One

Network	Broadcaster	Position
FOX	Al Michaels	Play-by-Play
NFL Network	Brad Nessler	Play-by-Play
CBS	Cris Collinsworth	Color Commentator
NBC	Gus Johnson	Play-by-Play
ESPN	Ian Eagle	Play-by-Play

Play-by-play men are the story of the first round. It's no surprise that the play-by-play guy is the quarterback of the broadcast—the most visible and often the one who can either carry or submarine an entire event.

Al Michaels isn't as respected by fans as he once was, but every once in a while, it's important to remember he's the gold standard. Does he have the most upside of anyone in this media draft? Probably not. However, FOX starts the draft by locking down the most important position of their team.

After Michaels, Nessler, Johnson and Eagle comprise the rest of the first-round play-by-play crew. NFL Network is already familiar with Nessler and choose him over Twitter's favorite announcer, Gus Johnson. The move won't be popular with the experts, but Johnson has some serious detractors, as he can get in the way of some broadcasts.

Eagle is considered more of a golf guy, but when you consider who else is left—Mike Tirico, Joe Buck, Jim Nantz et al.—Eagle looks like a wise (if unexpected) choice.

With two elite and respected play-by-play men off the board, CBS takes a chance and picks up the best color man in the business. Many voice displeasure with Collinsworth, but no one is more prepared for broadcast and no one has as much big-game experience. However, critics will likely chastise them for passing on Johnson.

Round Two

Network	Broadcaster	Position
ESPN	Mike Mayock	Color Commentator
NBC	Troy Aikman	Color Commentator
CBS	Mike Tirico	Play-by-Play
NFL Network	Dan Fouts	Color Commentator
FOX	Adam Schefter	News

ESPN pairs Ian Eagle with Mike Mayock in what seems like a perfect pairing. Eagle doesn't live and bleed NFL football, but tends to stay out of the way during broadcasts. This allows Mayock to do what he does best: straight X's and O's.

NBC gets Troy Aikman to pair with Gus Johnson in what may be the most exciting pairing of the bunch. Aikman has gotten better as his time in the booth as increased and his best work is likely ahead of him.

CBS drafts Mike Tirico—perhaps the most NFL-knowledgeable play-by-play man after Michaels—to go with Cris Collinsworth. "High brow" isn't a phrase anyone would associate with Tirico after reading These Guys Have All the Fun, but in the booth, he and Collinsworth could be a diehard NFL fan's dream. The biggest challenge would be going over casual fans' heads—a problem the real-life CBS pairings never seem to have.

NFL Network's pairing is Brad Nessler and Dan Fouts. Many people love Fouts (I am not one), and no one seems to dislike Nessler, but this seems like the most "blah" broadcast pairing of the bunch. This crew will need some help in the later rounds.

FOX goes off-script and grabs the most popular newsmen in the business, Adam Schefter. FOX doesn't seem to have the restrictive Twitter policies of ESPN and would let Schefter be himself in social media again. Add him to Michaels and FOX now has two of the most respected men in sports media.

Round Three

Network	Broadcaster	Position
FOX	Jon Gruden	Color Commentator
NFL Network	Jay Glazer	News
CBS	James Brown	Studio
NBC	Dan Patrick	Studio
ESPN	Rich Eisen	Studio

Well, the whole respectability thing FOX had going on has been blown out of the water in round three. Yet, Jon Gruden may be a wise pairing with Al Michaels. Gruden is not—repeat: not—John Madden, but they share some similarities in terms of over-the-top energy and their love of non-specific platitudes. Michaels spent years reigning in Madden and could do wonders for Gruden, who seems to be in broadcasting for the long haul.

NFL Network realizes the coma-inducing nature of Nessler and Fouts and grabs an exciting newsman in Jay Glazer. With no MMA coverage on NFL Network, Glazer would have more time to devote to game coverage and could see expanded time in studio.

CBS is already familiar with James Brown's work and seems to overrate him in real life. It's not a huge reach, but CBS will need to put a better team around him than the real life CBS has been able to.

NBC is familiar with their studio choice as well. Dan Patrick has helped turn Football Night in America into must-see TV and might be the best "highlights" guy in sports television history. (Apologies to Chris Berman and Keith Olbermann.)

ESPN's choice of Rich Eisen is almost forced with the run of studio guys ahead of him, but honestly, Eisen could have easily been at the top of that run. No one does more entertaining with more time than Eisen, who has been the face of NFL Network (and headlined the bulk of their coverage) ever since they paid a king's ransom to lure him from the "Mothership." If ESPN puts a better team around him than real-life NFL Network has, he could shine.

Round Four

Network	Broadcaster	Position
ESPN	Chris Mortensen	News
NBC	Peter King	News
CBS	Jason LaCanfora	News
NFL Network	Pam Oliver	Sideline
FOX	Curt Menefee	Studio

In rounds four through six, most networks already have the important positions filled, so their strategy here will decide how their coverage will slant toward game broadcast, studio talent, etc. Since everyone in this short draft is "elite" in one way or another, no one will have a bad team, but each team will end up looking much different.

ESPN is likely seething after losing Schefter to FOX and needs to shore up their own news to continue as the "Worldwide Leader" in NFL coverage. Mortensen has taken a backseat to Schefter since the latter came over from NFL Network, but Mort still has the chops to headline a group and more connections than the everyday fan gives him credit for.

NBC keeps the in-studio pairing of Dan Patrick and newsman Peter King, and what a pairing it is. Few people rely on King to break the same volume of news as Schefter, Glazer or Mort, but King is the best commentator (in studio or in print) of the bunch. When asking what a piece of news means, King is second to none.

It feels mean to put Jason LaCanfora last among the news guys, but frankly, who would you put above him? LaCanfora breaks a lot of news and has a long history of doing so, but he doesn't have the same name recognition as the other elite news people around the NFL. CBS' in-game coverage of Tirico-Collinsworth will appeal to a lot of fans, but I'm not sure anyone is turning in to see Brown and LaCanfora before the game.

NFL Network boosts their game broadcast with Pam Oliver, who does really underrated work as FOX's premier sideline reporter. Sideline reporters are somewhat fading out of prominence, but Oliver has the capability to add a lot to the Nessler-Fouts pairing.

Curt Menefee is the "best player available" (and has been since King came off the board). He also fits the biggest need right now for FOX and he's a home-grown prospect. Menefee has matured as an anchor since taking over as "head inmate" in the FOX asylum. He is solid if not inspiring as a studio host and clearly the best of that bunch left on the board.

Round Five

Network	Broadcaster	Position
FOX	Mike Pereira	Studio/Sideline
NFL Network	Chris Berman	Studio
CBS	Lesley Visser	Sideline
NBC	Tom Jackson	Studio
ESPN	Tony Dungy	Studio

FOX knows what a good thing they have in former head of NFL official, Mike Pereira. They'll add him as a "hybrid" player at the top of round five. Not only will he continue to add to game broadcasts, but he could handle a lot of work in the studio as well.

After Mayock, no one in this draft is going to bring more niche knowledge to a broadcast team than Pereira. He doesn't make the FOX broadcast "must see," but he provides a skill set no one else has.

Sorry Chris Berman, you are a cornerstone of NFL broadcasting, but not only did you hit your prime years ago, many long-time NFL fans are frankly sick of the schtick. NFL Network seems to have a blind spot for Berman, however, and has repeatedly tried to lure him as they lured Eisen.

They're fine being "stuck" with Berman, but will fans stick around for halftime?

Lesley Visser is the most respected female sports journalist of our era and adds a ton of value to the CBS lineup. Not only will she up the already-high game of Tirico-Collinsworth, but she can add some nice feature and interview content to pregame coverage.

Tom Jackson has played the straightman to Berman for so long, it would be interesting to see him with a less goofy partner in Dan Patrick. On the other hand, since Jackson can carry the conversation on his own, fans may get to see more of the lighter side of Patrick than they currently do on NBC's actual coverage.

In real life, Patrick-Tony Dungy works, so there's really no reason to believe that Eisen-Dungy wouldn't work in this scenario. Eisen's current crew is a bunch of former players that don't add much in terms of real value, while Dungy is quickly becoming respected for his studio work on Sunday nights. This could be an overlooked, but solid pairing.

Round Six

Network	Broadcaster	Position
ESPN	Bryant Gumbel	Studio
NBC	Trey Wingo	Studio
CBS	Mike Florio	News
NFL Network	Boomer Esiason	Studio
FOX	Terry Bradshaw	Studio

Last round and ESPN goes way off script as they bring in HBO's Bryant Gumbel to add a lot of journalistic clout to their broadcast. Gumbel once co-hosted NFL pregame with Jack Buck and could be a solid number two in a three-man team with Eisen and Dungy. He could also take (and excel in) a Bob Costas-like role with features and halftime soundbites.

NBC knows that Dan Patrick isn't going to quit radio and he has a history as a bit of a wild card, so they bring in Trey Wingo to hedge their bets. Wingo has helped turn NFL Live into daily viewing and gives NBC the best highlights team by a mile.

After getting the last news guy, CBS decides to supplement that area of their coverage with Mike Florio. Not only does he redefine the broadcast as a great editorialist, but he helps keep CBSSports.com as a top web destination. He might already be the most familiar face in the CBS studio for young NFL fans.

NFL Network was "stuck" with Berman earlier and they seem stuck with Esiason now. Esiason is extremely knowledgeable, don't doubt that, but they Boomer and Esiason aren't bringing anyone in before kickoff.

FOX keeps the Menafee-Terry Bradshaw pairing that has worked for them in real life. No one is really sure why this pairing is entertaining, but the chemistry is there and the two generally seem to like each other behind all of the constant ribbing.

Post-Draft Analysis

If only one of these squads could do the Super Bowl, it would probably be FOX's pairing of Michaels and Gruden—even if Gruden needed a solid dose of duct tape at halftime. Having Pereira involved would probably be a treat for many viewers who only tune into one NFL game every year.

The best pregame is a matter of taste. NBC has a very legit trio of Patrick-Jackson-Wingo and the highlights alone make it must see TV. Add in Peter King, who can put his valued spin on the news of the day and Football Night in America still looks like the best thing going.

However, ESPN could be a diamond in the rough with Eisen-Dungy-Gumbel. On the surface, that trio doesn't stick out, but Dungy and Gumbel both bring a very unique perspective to NFL coverage. If the chemistry works out, they could become a fan favorite.

The most valuable "priority free agent" depends on what each team is looking for. Kenny Mayne has a valued place in the pregame space and could command a few phone calls. Steve Young and Jimmy Johnson both bring a unique perspective and could help the weaker studio shows. Bob Costas probably should have been drafted, but too many fans find him insufferable.

One thing is for sure: With the amount of complaints most fans lob at the current NFL media teams, this draft would solve a lot of problems by putting these dream teams together.

Michael Schottey is an NFL Associate Editor for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. He has professionally covered both the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, as well as NFL events like the scouting combine and the Senior Bowl. Follow him on Twitter.